Mindful Travel ≠ Boring Travel
Sometimes when I tell people I’m a mindful travel content creator, I worry that I come off as either pretentious or boring. Slow travel is something I strive for, because without paying attention (ie mindfulness!) my brain can speed up to the point where I’m somewhat manic. I’m not moving slowly through cities pondering every rock I step on and every brick in the buildings I pass.
But sometimes, slow travel and mindful travel get a bad rap. Lots of people want to keep going until they’ve collapsed when they travel.
I’m sort of in that boat now—I’m in Florence, Italy on a last-minute trip, with my feet up at my hotel. My FitBit says I’ve walked 13k steps; I just had a shower to wash all the sweat that 37-degree heat creates; I’ve treated a small sunburn. And I’m resting, because I have plans tonight—plans that I travelled for! Because something drew me to Florence…
Was it the Michealangelo’s David?
Was it the majesty of the architecture, the Heaven’s Gate and the Duomo Cathedral?
Was it wanting to see the inspiration for Dante’s Inferno?
Great guesses, but no.
It was My Chemical Romance.
Yes, that’s right—the emo/punk band popular in the early 2000s was the reason I visited Florence for the first time. Everything else that I’ve gotten to see, enjoy, shop, and eat, is because of my prolonged love for this band.
You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I went through an emo phase in high school, and saw MCR for the first time when I was 15, and once more when I was 17. Last week, they came to London, and I debated going to one of their shows. That decision was taken away from me when I hurt my back swimming. Because now, in my 30s, a bad night’s sleep or an imperfect workout can be the difference between getting to move freely for the rest of the day.
I was so sad to miss that show—the Wembley Arena looked incredible. And even though it’s been over 20 years since I first saw them live, getting to see a band that meant so much to me was something I was so sad to miss out on.
On Sunday night, I started getting frustrated with myself. Why had I been so stupid to swim wrong? I’d missed my chance to do something that I knew I’d love, that I’m not sure will ever happen again. Who knows if MCR will keep touring?
Frustrated, I mapped out what a trip to follow their tour would cost. And I realised—I could do this. I had the money in my savings; I had a plan; I had no one stopping me. What was I waiting for?
Well truthfully—it felt very frivolous. But the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe this trip is mindful, too.
Mindfulness is about figuring out where you want to turn your attention; when you notice what you pay attention to, and how it impacts your feelings, you can choose to change what you pay attention to, or you can lean in to that attention for moments of deeper feeling.
Here’s what makes me think that flying to a city I’ve never been to before, to see a band I haven’t seen for years, solo (I’ve never been to a concert alone, much less a mosh pit!), is a mindful thing to do: first, it’s helping me lean into moments of joyfulness. Even though a lot of MCR’s music is sad or angry, it takes me back to a time when those songs comforted me (who doesn’t remember being a teen and feeling frustrated or angry without words to express it?). And going to concerts is something I really enjoy anyhow!
Second, it’s helping me stretch the limit of what I see as options for myself, which is in line with the person I’m trying to become. I realise that there are a lot of “rules” I make up in my head, and questioning them and figuring out who I am without arbitrary limits feels like growth.
Third—and please know that as I’m writing this, I’m about an hour away from leaving my hotel room—I think that even if this night is an unmitigated disaster, it’s still a chance for growth. It’s possible a level-10 emergency will happen (Gerard Way gets sick! Ray Toro’s fingers snap off and there’s no guitar solos!), but I’m thinking more in the minute sense. I could hate it. I could feel like the oldest person there. I could feel lonely, or get bruised, or even get turned away at the door. But even that is still information; a chance to learn what I didn’t like, which slow travel is also good for.
Fourth, I think this will make me happy. And at the risk of sounding self-centered, I do think that the things in life that make us happy are worth pursuing. The world needs more joy, and this is some I can give to myself.
Lastly, I just want to say—please remember that you don’t need a reason to travel beyond “I want to”. I went back and forth so many times, because I felt like this was a silly reason to get on a plane and book a hotel room. But the night’s here, and I’m so glad I did.
Now I’m going to go and sing my lungs out to the Black Parade. Happy travels!
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